India sees slight decline in daily Covid tally with 743 new cases
On Friday, India recorded 797 Covid cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily tally in over seven months. Photograph:( Reuters )
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The total cases in the country have now climbed to 45,012,431 including 3,997 active cases, 44,475,076 recoveries, and 533,358 deaths.
The total cases in the country have now climbed to 45,012,431 including 3,997 active cases, 44,475,076 recoveries, and 533,358 deaths.
India reported a slight decline in its daily Covid tally on Saturday (Dec 30) with 743 fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry's update showed. The total cases in the country have now climbed to 45,012,431 including 3,997 active cases, 44,475,076 recoveries, and 533,358 deaths. Seven people died and 830 people recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours, the ministry's update showed.
The total vaccinations in the country are now over 2.2 billion. The worst-hit states by the virus are Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Till Thursday, India recorded 145 cases of the JN.1 subvariant- the highest of which were from Kerala at 41.
India recorded 797 cases on Friday, a seven-month high
On Friday, India recorded 797 Covid cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily tally in over seven months. The last time the country reported a higher number was on May 19 when 865 people tested positive. On Friday, the active cases were at 4,091, the health ministry's update showed.
Five deaths were also reported on Friday - two from Kerala and one each from Maharashtra, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, 798 people recuperated from the disease.
Also read: New Delhi reports first case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, minister says ‘no need to panic’
The number of daily cases in the country had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but the cases have again gone up after the emergence of the JN.1 subvariant. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the JN.1 as a variant of interest and said current evidence showed the risk to public health was low from the strain.
JN.1 was previously classified as a variant of interest as part of its parent lineage BA.2.86, but WHO has now classified it as a separate variant of interest.
WHO urges pandemic accord for 2024
Meanwhile, the WHO has urged a pandemic accord next year to plug preparedness gaps that were exposed during the Covid pandemic. On Tuesday, WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the world needs to properly prepare for future pandemics after finally ending three years of Covid "crisis, pain and loss."
Ghebreyesus added that the year 2023 marked a turning point in fighting major health challenges but had also brought "immense and avoidable suffering."
